The 2009 New York Venture Summit

Ralph Taylor-Smith has a background in engineering, applied-science and technology development, finance and business management. He gained his academic training from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), receiving a PhD in Engineering (Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering focus) and an MBA in Finance (Corporate Finance & Strategic Planning focus). He is currently a General Partner of Battelle Ventures, a private equity investment firm which manages $255Million in venture capital funds. At Battelle, Ralph is a member of the firm?s Investment Committee and he covers all aspects of the venture investment business, including deal sourcing, due-diligence, deal negotiation and transaction closing, Board of Director duties, start-up company development and financial exits. Ralph has led various venture investments for Battelle Ventures and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for six Companies. Prior to entering the venture capital industry, Ralph gained significant experience in investment banking, business development and technology R&D. He worked previously as an Investment Banker on Wall Street at GoldmanSachs and JPMorgan focusing on mergers/acquisitions for technology-industry companies. Earlier in his career, Ralph worked as a Senior Research Scientist and Engineer at Bell Labs and in Business Development at Lucent Technologies. He holds twelve patents for innovations in semiconductor microelectronic devices, optical-fiber & photonics, fuel cells, flat panel displays, and nanotechnology systems. Ralph was selected as a Kauffman Fellow by the Center for Venture Capital Education & Entrepreneurial Leadership, affiliated with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He was also appointed a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow in Finance & Technology Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Business Management and appointed a PriceBabson SEE Fellow in Entrepreneurship Education & University Curriculum Development at Babson College Center for Entrepreneurship. In addition to his several for-profit Corporate Board Directorships, Ralph currently serves various non-profit educational organizations, academic colleges and universities as Advisory Board Member or Board of Trustees Member; he also works regularly with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs.